Bruntwood returns to RHS Flower Show Tatton Park

The floral spectacular RHS Tatton Park Flower Show is returning to Cheshire this month, celebrating its 20th anniversary. This year is the third time Bruntwood has sponsored the show, as part of our goal of creating vibrant cities, through sustainability and the greening of our great city regions. From the creation of our own Bruntwood garden, events with our community and cultural partners, and informative and educational discussions around sustainability, there’s plenty to be explored this year.

The Bruntwood garden
Combining the themes of outdoor workspaces and urban greening, the garden this year takes inspiration from our previous two designs. The field office board room table from 2016 is making a return, along with the suspended plants created by our partner, Hultons Landscapes last year.

Also having been taken from our previous RHS Tatton Park Flower Shows is Nathan Webster. After working as part of the Hultons Landscapes team to build our Bruntwood gardens in 2016 and 2017, Nathan joined the Bruntwood team as Urban Greening Champion. Nathan has been put to the test and designed this year’s garden, which includes exhibition and performances spaces for events throughout the week.

As in previous year’s the design of the garden was created with sustainability in mind. As the majority of the garden is relocated to our Oxford House building after the show, it is sure to have a lasting legacy. Visitors are also invited to have some of the garden for themselves as we bring back the suspended plants from the 2017 show. Made by Hultons, but easily recreated at home, the plants in our garden can be taken away as a memento of the show at the end of the weekend.

Creating vibrancy
Working with our cultural and charitable partners across the Manchester region, the garden will also be a hub of vibrant activity hosting events throughout the show. The Ancoats Choir, students from BIMM and Manchester International Festival's Creative 50 will all be joining us in our garden to entertain and enthral you.

Want to get stuck in and try some crafts for yourself? The Factory Youth Zone will be holding upcycling workshops, A4 Studio’s resident John Dempsey will be live painting, artist Russell Kirk and our colleague Lauren Edwards (who currently works as a receptionist at our Neo building) will turn us all into artists as they host creative workshops, and we’ll also be joined by our Bee in the City artist, Kim Hubball, who will be creating a giant ‘doodle’ around the worker bee theme, as well as leading canvas bag screen printing workshops. Our partners City of Trees will also be on hand to collect your tree stories, show how to make fresh juice using their vintage apple press and will be showing us how to make tree boggarts and butterfly masks.

Feeling a bit thirsty after your busy day at Tatton Park? LEAF is set to hold tea tasting sessions, explaining the benefits the different types of tea can offer.

But that’s not all. This year, we’re doing things a little bit differently and alongside the usual array of activities over the course of the show, we will also be holding a mix of conferences to discuss greening and sustainability in the region, as well as tips and ideas to take home, to do your bit for our great city.

The value of green spaces
As we create new urban spaces across our city regions, we are keen to harness the power of placemaking and incorporate green space into these areas. Alongside the RHS, we will be hosting the ‘Future Gardens in a Crowded World’ event, discussing the importance of gardens and green initiatives in our city centres. Contributing to the panel discussion will be lecturers at the University of Manchester and Manchester Metropolitan University, design practice Planit IE and an expert on surface water management from United Utilities.

Green space, such as the area being developed at Circle Square in Manchester city centre, is vital to creating a healthy ecosystem. Through innovative and smart development designs, we are able to provide spaces for visitors and residents alike to enjoy, relax and socialise. This rare and valuable green space will make Circle Square a landmark destination in Manchester city centre. 

Alongside our panel discussion with the RHS and the development of this year’s garden, we will be continuing the discussion around sustainability through a panel focusing on city centre travel. To create thriving cities, it is vital that they are liveable. ‘Sustainable travel and Circle Square’ will discuss the ways in which people do and how we can continue to, travel around the city in a sustainable way.

As a company, we ensure that our customers and our colleagues are able to access sustainable transport. This can be seen through the location of our buildings, as well as the facilities they contain such as showers, changing rooms, bike racks and lockers for people choosing to walk, run or cycle to work.

Both of these topics focus on the overarching goal of creating thriving cities. Creating liveable cities with clean air, safe modes of transport and pleasant places to relax, we are helping people to be happy and healthy.

So whether you want to learn, be creative, or simply just relax, there’s something to suit everyone at this year’s RHS Tatton Park Flower Show and in the Bruntwood garden.